I don't know if this will sail right over your head or not, amazingblob, but maybe it will be useful for people who visit this thread seeking information to help a loved one.

There's a kind of therapy sometimes used with sz call megacognitive therapy (MCT). UKE - Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie - Metacognitive Training Metakognitive Therapy for Psychosis Schizophrenie Psychose Metacognition emotional training CBT for psychosis CBT for schizophrenia kognitive Verhaltenstherapie f

Metacognition is thinking about thinking. Since people dx'd with sz tend to make certain cognitive errors, the idea is to train them to notice and avoid those errors. I tried to go through the lessons with my son a few years ago, and it just made him angry, so I gave it up.

The cognitive biases (which btw "normal" people have too but not to the extent of a person who tends to become delusional):

1. Jumping to conclusions: 40%-70% of people dx'd/sz gather very little evidence before arriving at strong conclusions.

2. Attributional style and self-esteem: casting blame for negative events on other people or institutions rather than spreading blame over multiple causes. Thought to be caused by low self esteem.

3. Memory problems: people dx'd/sz tend to have reduced memory vividness but are overconfident in their memories.

4. Bias against disconfirmatory evidence: delusional people tend to cling to their beliefs despite evidence to the contrary.

5. Theory of the mind deficits: an umbrella term covering a wide variety of things like social knowledge and competence, emotion and social reasoning.